Why SONG JOONG-KI Gave Up His Career in Short Track Speed Skating…"Factional Feuds" - 중앙일보

Song Joong-ki, now the face of the Korean Hallyu wave sweeping the globe, once used to pursue a career on ice. It's almost unimaginable to think that the hunk from 'Descendants of the Sun,' as well as the male half of the "Song-Song couple" who handsomely keeps actress Song Hye-kyo's side occupied, used to put on a helmet, skate relentlessly on ice, and had to give up his dreams on ice as a teenager.

He would have been the most good-looking athlete on ice!

On Channel A's 'Heard It Through The Grapevine' aired on February 19, Song Joong-ki's behind-the-scenes story in his adolescence was shared with the crowd. A celebrity reporter dealing in show business made an appearance on the show as a panel and revealed the story. "Song Joong-ki was a short track speed skater. And a great one too, as he competed in the National Sports Festival for three times as a representative for his hometown Daejeon, all the time skating for twelve years since a first grader in elementary school."

And a pop culture critic added on, stating, "Song Joong-ki's reason for bidding farewell to short track speed skating stems from not only his injuries but his maturity. Back then there were de facto factions according to your school or who you studied under. The media raved about the sports factions' power struggle. The whole competition was probably due to short track being a pot of gold for Korean skaters."

The panels further stated, "Back then, although it wasn't easy for Song Joong-ki to make the national short track team solely based on his skating abilities, he realized that 'Oh, in this field I can't get by with only my skating skills and abilities' and went on a search for alternative ways by which he could support his living. Hence he gave up sports, focused on his academic studies, and enrolled as a freshman at Sungkyunkwan University's School of Business after re-taking the national entrance exam.

Previously, Song Joong-ki had disclosed the fact that he had to give up skating after suffering an ankle injury as a 15-year-old. He also shared an anecdote of himself skating alongside Viktor Ahn, a South Korean-born Olympian who fell out of the "powers" and defected to Russia.

A skater for Daejeon Metropolitan City, Song Joong-ki was skilled enough to compete in the National Sports Festival. He himself mentioned that "I was so proud of my taking part in the National Sports Festival that I went around wearing a jacket with the words 'Daejeon Metropolitan City' engraved on it all the time."

A member of his university's broadcasting station and a former announcer wannabe, Song Joong-ki made his debut as a minor role in the movie 'A Frozen Flower' (2008). He rose to stardom after his role as Gu Yong-ha in the TV drama 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal' (2010).

By Grace and Suwon Han voomvoomk@gmail.com